The present invention relates to an electrical connector, and in particular to a board-to-board connector having contacts which can prevent solder bridging of the contacts during the soldering process.
Board-to-board connectors are popularly used in the computer industry. There is an ongoing trend to minimize the size of computers. Thus manufacturers want to reduce the space occupied by connectors within a computer. Surface Mount Technology (SMT) and high density connectors (with closely spaced contacts, for example, 0.5 mm pitch) have been developed accordingly. An SMT, high density, board-to-board connector is illustrated in U.S. Pat. No. 5,836,773. FIG. 4 is an illustration of a portion of the connector of the prior patent, wherein a contact 48 includes a tail section 50 for soldering the contact 48 onto a printed circuit board (PCB) and a vertical main body 52 for being retainably received within a corresponding passage 42 in a housing 40. The main body 52 is bent to extend perpendicularly from an end of the tail section 50. The width of the main body 52 is about equal to the width of the tail section 50.
The width of the main body 52 is required to guarantee reliable contact with an inserted contact of a mating connector (not shown). However, during manufacture of the connector, the tail section 50 with such width is prone to develop unwanted solder bridges between adjacent tail sections during the soldering process. This frequently results in short circuits, thereby damaging electrical devices connected with the mating connectors.
Therefore, improved contacts for use in a board-to-board connector is desired.
A main object of the present invention is to provide an electrical connector having improved contacts which can effectively prevent unwanted solder bridges forming when the contacts are soldered onto a printed circuit board (PCB).
Another object of the present invention is to provide an electrical connector which is firmly secured to the PCB.
An electrical connector according to the present invention comprises a plurality of contacts and an insulative housing defining a plurality of cavities for receiving the contacts therein.
Each contact comprises a contacting portion formed at one end thereof, a soldering tail at an opposite end and a transition portion formed between the contacting portion and the soldering tail. A clearance with a first width is formed between adjacent contacting portions, while a gap with a second width is formed between adjacent soldering tails. A twist portion is provided between the soldering tail and the transition portion. A side face of the soldering tail is formed perpendicular to a top face of the transition portion, which would lie in a same plane before twisting. Accordingly, the contacting portion is relatively wide for reliably contacting a mating contact. Furthermore, the gap between adjacent soldering tails is sufficiently wide to prevent bridging during the soldering process. A pair of metal ears is respectively retained at opposite sides of the housing for reliably attaching the connector to the PCB.
Other objects, advantages and novel features of the invention will become more apparent from the following detailed description when taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings.